That Jock Who Never Did His Homework in High School Is Making More Money Than You

If the title of this post just made you die on a little on the inside, it's OK, we can cry it out together. According to a new study published in the Eastern Economic Journal, your high school GPA can actually predict your future salary. Normally this would be good news, right? You took AP history. You didn't cut class. (Or maybe you did, in which case you were probably much cooler than I was.) But way more interesting-slash-disheartening is what else the study reveals: A guy who graduates high school with a 2.5 GPA—that's about a B- for those of you keeping score at home—has the same future earning potential as a woman who graduates with a 4.0 (or an A+).

The pay gap between men and women is well documented—we're talking about it here on The Conversation all the time—so it's not news that women make less than men on average. But this study paints an even more irritating picture about how* early* gender starts predicting one's salary. Researchers at the University of Miami used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which contains data on more than 10,000 men and women who were in grades 7 through 12 during the 1994-95 school year. They then obtained the high school transcripts of respondents, now between the ages of 24 and 34, as well as income information, according to Michael T. French, Ph.D., a professor of health and economics at the University of Miami who led the study. The result? Well, check it out on this graph of the study's findings by the Washington Post:

The study also shows that a one-point increase in high school GPA could bump up future earnings by 12 percent for men, and 14 percent for women. And yet women *still *earn substantially less. I asked French if the study yielded any explanations as to why women with higher GPAs are so far behind. "There are many possible explanations for the gap including gender discrimination, career interruptions that are more common among women, women self-selecting into traditionally lower paying occupations, etc.," he said. "But, you are correct in that, on average, men experience a greater bump in earnings related to their high school GPA than women do."

Look, we all know that just because a girl gets straight As in high school doesn't mean she's the next Sheryl or Hillary, the same way that a guy who slacks off when he's 16 isn't destined for failure. Grades don't necessarily paint the whole picture, and there could be other factors at play. For example, there have been numerous studies and articles about the behavioral advantage girls may have over boys starting from kindergarten, including this piece by The New York Times. It does seem plausible boys might simply do better later.

Plus, there's truth to what French said about women sometimes choosing lower-paying careers or stepping away from work to have a family. (More reason we need stronger paternity-leave policies in this country.) But it's still hard not to feel a little defeated at the news that gender—not hard work, not studying your face off—could set women back financially before they even get to college. It stings even more when you consider that when they do get there, they'll outnumber their male counterparts and earn more degrees—but not more money.

What do you think: Does it really matter how well (or not well) someone does in high school? Do you see any correlation between your GPA and current salary?